Tom Faranda's Folly

A partial closure on a terrifying era

UPDATE 1/1/07 The NY Times best reporter, John F Byrne, has an interesting piece today: U.S. Questioned Iraq on the Rush to Hang Hussein - New York Times

12-31-06

I would have preferred that Saddam Hussein not have been executed.  To me it would have been better if the Iraqi court said something like "Mr. Hussein, you are an evil man, responsible for a million and a half deaths. However we are better than that, we are not going to kill you, even if you deserve it. We are going to lock you up forever, and let you think about your horrible crimes."

A much better option. Then you are not compounding his violence with another death.

On the other hand, I don't think you can say it was an injustice to execute Hussein.

Here is an op ed by a Kurdish physician, in yesterday's NY Times. Justice, but No Reckoning - New York Times

Killing Saddam now, however, for ordering the massacre at Dujail in 1982, means that he will not face justice for his greatest crimes: the so-called Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s, the genocidal assault on the Marsh Arabs in the 1990s, and the slaughtering of the Shiite Arabs and Kurds who rose up against him, with American encouragement, in 1991.

The sight of a tyrant held to account, if only briefly, has been an important precedent for the Middle East. The shabby diplomacy that has allowed dictators to thrive is now discredited.

Killing Saddam now, however, for ordering the massacre at Dujail in 1982, means that he will not face justice for his greatest crimes: the so-called Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s, the genocidal assault on the Marsh Arabs in the 1990s, and the slaughtering of the Shiite Arabs and Kurds who rose up against him, with American encouragement, in 1991.

The sight of a tyrant held to account, if only briefly, has been an important precedent for the Middle East. The shabby diplomacy that has allowed dictators to thrive is now discredited.

Sadly, however, we have not had full justice. Saddam Hussein did not confront the full horror of his crimes. Building on previous initiatives by Arab nationalist governments to persecute the Kurds, he turned ethnic engineering and murder into an industry in the 1970s. Hundreds of thousands were evicted from their homes and murdered. Swaths of Kurdish countryside were emptied of their population, men, women and children taken to shallow graves and shot.

Initially, the United States backed those of us who took to the hills to save our lives and freedom, but in 1975 (and here is an irony) Gerald Ford agreed to stop financing us in order to settle a border dispute between Iraq and Iran. As so many times since, human rights were no match for a desire to keep the oil flowing.

During the 1980s, entire towns, including Qala Diza in Iraqi Kurdistan and Qasr-i-Shirin in neighboring Iranian Kurdistan, were destroyed. To ensure that survivors would never return to their homes, the mountains were laced with land mines. The widows and children were detained in settlements lacking fresh water and sewage disposal; these were called “mujammat” in Arabic, which translates, with all the dreadful implications, as “concentration areas.”

While I escaped to America, my family was not so lucky. My brother-in-law and nephew were summarily executed. They never had anything remotely approaching a fair trial, never got to write a will, never got to say goodbye to my sister....

... For all the mistakes that the United States has made in Iraq — and I feel the betrayal of 1975 was the worst — I am a proud (naturalized) American because this country brought the murderous despot to trial. Still, it is a great shame that he will not be held accountable for all of his crimes, and a far greater tragedy that he was allowed, sometimes with American complicity, to commit them in the first place.

The Washington Post has a comprehensive feature on the last moments of Hussein.

In Hussein's Last Minutes, Jeers and a Cry for Calm - washingtonpost.com

One Iraqi official asked him whether he was afraid, Haddad recalled.

"I am not afraid. I have chosen this path," Hussein replied....

___________

... After the outbursts, as Hussein recited his Islamic prayer for the second time, the chief hangman asked for silence. Then the floor of the gallows was opened.

"He died in a tenth of a second," Faroun said. "He did not move a leg or foot."

Hussein's body hung for about five minutes, witnesses said.

Health update

Got my blood results already from today's CBC. White count is 1.4 (it was 1.5 last week) and the "Absolute Neutrophilic" (sp?) is 0.6. It was 0.7 last week which is a big drop from the week before's 2.0. Normal range low is 1.5.

So that's not a good number. Will see the hematologist Dr. Klimek next Friday and it's a pretty sure thing I'll be getting more neulasta. The nurse at Sloan Kettering in Sleepy Hollow who drew my blood this AM, Pat Costa, said neulasta only stays in your system for about a week and a half. So the fact that I was still having a positive response from my shot on 11/22 up until past the 15th of this month is a good sign (I guess? Maybe?).

Otherwise I feel good.

I am going to modify my gym workouts starting the 1st of the year. I am taking some ideas from a book I recently read, "Body for Life." I will write about it over the weekend. 

Where is "The One Ring to Rule Them All"?

Because I want to be fair and balanced - I don't want any perception that I only post mediocre jokes at the expense of Clinton and Kerry - here's an amusing bumper sticker I spotted a couple of days ago:

FRODO FAILED    Bush Has the Ring 

A Tale of Two Ships

This is from an email that was forwarded to me by my good friend Paul Novotny. I love it! It is a bit rough on poor old Bill, though. But he can take it.

USS REAGAN

Seeing it next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective...................ENORMOUS
Please read about the USS Reagan. Also notice the respect that the crew gives the Arizona Memorial when passing it.
This is absolutely beautiful!

USS REAGAN PASSING THE ARIZONA MEMORIAL

 
BEAUTIFUL!
When the Bridge pipes "Man the Rail" there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.

Capability
Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling
Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years
Carries over 80 combat aircraft
Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size
Towers 20 stories above the waterline
1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Dates
Dec 8, 1994 Contract awarded to Newport News Ship building
Feb 12, 1998 Keel laid
Oct 1, 2000 Pre-commissioning Unit established
March 4, 2001 Christened by Mrs. Nancy Reagan
May 5, 2003 First underway
July 12, 2003 Commissioned
July 23, 2004 Arrived at home port in San Diego, CA
Capacity 
Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
18,150 meals served daily

Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2000 homes

Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones

14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

Costs the Navy approximately $250,000 per day for pier side operation

Costs the Navy approximately $2.5 million per day for underway operations (Sailor's salaries included).

=================================================================

US ?Navy welcomes the USS Bill Clinton

Sunday July 2nd '06 Vancouver, ?BC, Headed for Seattle, WA.
The US Navy welcomed the latest member of its fleet today.

Pictured above:
The USS William Jefferson Clinton (CVS1) set sail today from its home port of Vancouver, BC.
The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Bill Clinton "for his foresight in military budget cuts" and his conduct while president. The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots. It boasts an arsenal comprised of one (unarmed) F14 Tomcat or one (unarmed) F18 Hornet aircraft which although they cannot be launched or captured on the 100 foot flight deck, but form a very menacing presence.
As a standing order there are no firearms allowed on board. The 20 person crew is completely diversified, including members of all races, creeds, sex, and sexual orientation. This crew, like the crew aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, is specially trained to avoid conflicts and appease any and all enemies of the United States at all costs.
An onboard Type One DNC Universal Translator can send out messages of apology in any language to anyone who may find America offensive. The number of apologies are limitless and though some may sound hollow and disingenuous, the Navy advises all apologies will sound very sincere.
The ship's purpose is not defined so much as a unit of national defense, but instead in times of conflict the USS Clinton has orders to seek refuge in Canada. The ship may be positioned near the Democratic National Party Headquarters for photo-ops and can be used extensively for social experimentation and whatever other worthless jobs, the ex-commander-in-chief and his wife can think of.
It is largely rumored that the ship will also be the set for the upcoming season of MTV's "The Real World."
The ship was renamed and commissioned USS William J ?Clinton when someone realized the USS Blowfish was already taken.

Latest read: The Language of God

My friend Paul Novotny read this book and passed it on to me.

The Language of God is a pretty quick read; less then 300 pages long. It is excellent.

The author is Francis S. Collins, a physician and geneticist who is the head of the Human Genome Project, which finished a draft of the entire mapping of the human genome (how our DNA is laid out on our chromosomes, identifying all of our genes) in June, 2000. The project is continuing; the sequencing of the last chromosome was published in May, 2006.

This is a colossal scientific achievement which will no doubt open the way for new forms of therapy in the future.

But the book is not primarily about Francis Collins the scientist; it is about Francis Collins the man of faith, and how he came to faith, and why he thinks it's reasonable and rational. There is plenty of science discussed, and Collins is excellent at making the advances in biology in the last several dacades comprehensible to people with only a sketchy understanding of the science. Collins presents the solid reasoning for accepting evolution as the best theory for uniting biological data and concepts. He refers to the Human Genome Project as figuring out "God's instruction booklet", and he gives a brief and interesting history of the Project.

Collins accepts evolution, but it is a theistic evolution. He opposes "intelligent design" theories as un-scientific and unnecessary to explain the data. He classifies himself as an Evangelical Christian.

Collins leans heavily on C.S. Lewis, and St. Augustine as he explains his faith and how he came to it. He heartily approves of St. Augustine's vision of faith and science not being in contradiction, and points out that John Paul II held the same position.

The Language of God is a good response to the militant atheism that geneticist Richard Dawkins has been spouting (and has been widely publicized) in the past few months. Collins gets off a number of solid zingers, pointing out that Marxist atheism has killed millions; on page 42 he points to the results of atheism: "atheism has the now-realized potential to free humans completely from any responsibility not to oppress one another."

In an excellent sub-section of chapter seven (a chapter entitled "Atheism and Agnosticism") he takes apart Dawkins, accusing him (P. 164) of being "a master of setting up a straw man" when Dawkins launches his vitriolic attacks on religion. And he extensively quotes the late Stephen Jay Gould, the widely published defender of evolution (Pages 165-166), where Gould says amongst other things: "Science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature. We neither affirm nor deny it; we simply cannot comment on it as scientists. If some of our crowd have made untoward statements claiming that Darwinism disproves God, then I will find Mrs. McInerney (Gould's 3rd grade teacher) and have their knuckles rapped for it..."

The last section of the book - a long appendix - is entitled "the Moral Practice of Science and Medicine: Bioethics". Collins especially examines cloning and stem cell research.

Collins dedicates The Language of God "To my parents, who taught me to love learning."  Francis Collins is a true Renaissance Man. If you are interested in the confluence of contemporary science and religious faith, you can't do better then his book.

A little on Gerald Ford.

Well, a former president and lived to be 93. That's pretty good going. And by all account a very nice man. And it's interesting that he really didn't seek the Presidency, it kind of sought him.

Much of what I've read in the last couple of days has focused on his pardon of Nixon and how that wrecked his re-election chances in 1976 against Carter. But my recollection (and this was mentioned on one of the cable news shows last night) was that what really sunk him was his assertion in the foreign policy debate with Carter that Poland was a free nation. As Carter commented "the Eastern Europeans would be surprised to know that..."). He was in a tie in the polls at that point, but the statement, and his failure to clarify what he meant, put his polling into a free fall for awhile. He rallied but came up short against Carter.

Here's an interesting op ed in the NY Times about an incident in his naval career in the Pacific in WWII. Ford was on a small aircraft carrier, the Monterey.  Unfortunately you'll only be able to access the article for free for a week

How Lieutenant Ford Saved His Ship - New York Times

Admiral Halsey had ordered Captain Ingersoll to abandon ship, and the Monterey was ablaze from stem to stern as Lieutenant Ford stood near the helm, awaiting his orders. “We can fix this,” Captain Ingersoll said, and with a nod from his skipper, Lieutenant Ford donned a gas mask and led a fire brigade below.

Aircraft-gas tanks exploded as hose handlers slid across the burning decks. Into this furnace Lieutenant Ford led his men, his first order of business to carry out the dead and injured. Hours later he and his team emerged burned and exhausted, but they had put out the fire.

Three destroyers were eventually capsized by Typhoon Cobra, a dozen more ships were seriously damaged, more than 150 planes were destroyed, and 793 men lost their lives. It was the Navy’s worst “defeat” of World War II. But the Monterey and nearly all of its men survived to take part in the battle of Okinawa, and the future president ended his Navy stint in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant commander.

Like his fellow World War II veterans, Mr. Ford returned home and resumed his life, rarely speaking publicly of his heroism. But in contrast to the public’s image of him as a clumsy nonentity, Mr. Ford was a man whose grace under pressure saved his ship and hundreds of men on it.

The Washington Post editorialized:

Gerald R. Ford - washingtonpost.com

But what hurt him most was an act of his own, taken one month into his presidency: the pardoning of Richard Nixon for whatever the former president had done or might have done. Today, with the passions of the period greatly diminished, it's hard to recall how much discord that decision created, even among those who believed Mr. Ford to be a trustworthy successor to Mr. Nixon. It's also hard, from today's vantage point, to see how an indictment and trial would have done the country much good. The pardon may have come too soon and been too broad, but it was basically the right thing to do. It hurt Mr. Ford politically, however, probably costing him the 1976 election.

In the spring of 2001, Mr. Ford received a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for that decision. The late Mary McGrory recalled in her column in The Post the uproar that had followed the pardon, and noted: "I myself contributed to the din with a series of screeds about unequal justice. But almost 27 years later, it looks a little different. What seemed then to be cynicism now looks more like courage. A most dubious decision has acquired the patina of the only one possible."

In January 1977, Jimmy Carter began his inaugural address: "I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." That still stands, both as a tribute to Gerald Ford and as a reminder to his successors of the importance of what used to be praised as the gentlemanly virtues.

And here's something else, sent to me by my friend Maria Abonnel, who used to work for the National Park Service - so did Ford! Ithink this is kind of cool.

National Park Service News Release

   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 27, 2006
   David Barna 202 208-6843
   Gerry Gaumer 202 208-4989

                         Gerald R. Ford: Park Ranger,
                     38th President of the United States.

   WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gerald R. Ford holds a special place in the heart of
   the National Park Service family. He will be remembered by the world for
   his many accomplishments as President of the United States and his
   compassion in healing the nation’s wounds following the war in Vietnam.
   For the National Park Service, he is considered one of our own; he is
   the only American President to have served as a park ranger in the
   National Park Service.

   In the summer of 1936, Gerald Ford worked as a seasonal park ranger at
   Yellowstone National Park. Ford later recalled that time as, “One of the
   greatest summers of my life.” According to his supervisor at
   Yellowstone, Canyon District Ranger Frank Anderson, Ford was “a darned
   good ranger.”  While serving in Yellowstone, one of Ford’s assignments
   was as an armed guard on the bear-feeding truck.  The National Park
   Service no longer feeds the bears, but Ford always remembered that duty
   and often regaled his family with stories about the bear-feeding truck.
   During his summer at Yellowstone, Ford also worked in the Canyon Hotel
   and Lodge meeting and greeting VIPS, a job Ford explained to his
   supervisor was “undemocratic and un-American to give special attention
   to VIPs.” According to Wayne Repogle, Ford’s roommate that summer, one
   of the duties that Ford particularly enjoyed was the early morning
   check.  From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. every morning, each automobile in camp had
   to be checked for make, model, state and license number.  Repogle
   indicated that the rangers had to run most of the time to get 150 to 200
   licenses listed in two hours.  As a football player, Ford was very fit
   and saw this duty as an opportunity to stay in shape. Repogle stated
   that Ford genuinely enjoyed, “everything we rangers had to do.”

   As President of the United States, Ford oversaw an era when the National
   Park Service, under the leadership of Director Gary Everhardt, tightened
   the criteria for national parklands. Previously, for an area to be
   recommended for inclusion in the National Park System, an area had to be
   considered nationally significant and lend itself to administration,
   preservation, and public use. The new emphasis would also consider
   whether the area was assured of adequate protection outside the System
   and whether it would be available for public appreciation and use under
   such protection. During his time in office, President Ford added
   eighteen new areas to the National Park System. (See attached list)

   The National Park Service family extends its heartfelt condolences to
   the Ford family at this difficult time and remembers one of its own
   fondly. We respect him as one of the pioneers in the field of rangering,
   and as a President that cared deeply for the National Park Service.

   Click on the link below for a photo of President Ford in Yellowstone
   National Park, summer of 1936.

    http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/refdesk/GRFord.jpg


                Areas Added to the National Park System under
                           President Gerald R. Ford

   ·  Boston National Historical Park, MA
   ·  Big Cypress National Preserve, FL
   ·  Big Thicket National Preserve, TX
   ·  Clara Barton National Historic Site, MD
   ·  John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, OR
   ·  Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, ND
   ·  Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, NY
   ·  Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, AL
   ·  Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, OH
   ·  Canaveral National Seashore, FL
   ·  Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK
   ·  Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, AK/WA
   ·  Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA
   ·  Ninety Six National Historic Site, SC
   ·  Obed Wild and Scenic River, TN
   ·  Congaree Swamp National Monument, SC
   ·  Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, CA
   ·  Monocacy National Battlefield, MD

Health Update

I got my bloodwork (CBC) results from last Friday today. White blood count was down to 1.5. that's from 3.1 last week and well below normal.

So I suppose the neulasta shot (the white blood cell booster) which I got on November 22nd has worn off.

I go for another CBC tomorrow, and will probably have the results next Tuesday. Then next Friday I will see the hematologist Dr. Klimek. I expect she'll give me another neulasta shot and keep having my counts checked every Friday.

So disappointing, but not surprising. I suppose I should be pleased that my bone marrow does respond nicely to the neulasta when I get the shot.

The troops ask Kerry for help, follow-up

John Kerry visits the troops in Iraq.

The Man Who Would be President

Power Line: Troops halp Jon Carry in Irak

On his visit to Iraq, Senator Kerry apparently got something like the silent treatment from the troops who are "stuck" there.

Obama-mania Update

It turns out that not every leftist is thrilled with Obama. Here's an opinion piece written by liberal columnist Froma Harrop (a Maureen Dowd clone, judging by her humor). She's not too impressed.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Obama Scores as Exotic Who Says Nothing

Obama's appeal comes not from the things he says, but from who is saying them. He scores as an exotic who talks of barbershops and church socials in the flat tones you'd expect from any son of the prairie.

Had Bayh been half-Kenyan and raised in Hawaii by white grandparents from Kansas, he too would have become a political star, at least for the month of December. But he is a conventional white man. When Bayh speaks in the quiet Midwestern way, he gets tarred as lackluster.

Listen to Obama:

"There's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America." These unremarkable words, spoken at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, set off wild applause.

And here is the similar quote that got hearts thumping in New Hampshire: "We've got a series of very important decisions to make, and we have the opportunity to make them, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. And it's that promise that I'm most excited about."

Obama likes to say things like, "We can do better," and, "America is ready for a new set of challenges." He is all for "a spiritual recovery."

The senator dislikes the "either-or" type of debate and warns against "false choices." He's not too left, not too right. Sort of black, and sort of white.

Obama is humble in all the right places. Before a thousand swooning fans in New Hampshire, he says, Evita-like: "This isn't about me. This is about you." One gets the impression from his public appearances and book, "The Audacity of Hope," that he doesn't even get a haircut without first consulting his wife.

What Obama really thinks should be done about health care and the terrorist threat remain secrets that his book does not unlock. His two years in the Senate certainly haven't revealed any bold policy ideas.

This leave-them-guessing strategy slips out in the book's prologue. "I serve as a blank screen," Obama writes, "on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." He notifies readers that "my treatment of the issues is often partial and incomplete." It takes some doing for a politician to write a 364-page book, his second volume, and skate past all controversy.

How to increase worker's incomes

The Wall Street Journal had a good op ed yesterday, which is available for free at opinionjournal.com.

Entitled the The Wages of Growth you can read the whole thing here: OpinionJournal - Featured Article

Over the past year, the real average wage for non-supervisory employees has risen 2.8%. That equates to about a $1,200 increase in purchasing power for the typical household this year. Last year, real median household income was also up 1.1% after inflation. This rise in take-home pay helps to explain how Americans have had the disposable income this Christmas shopping season to pay $600 for PlayStation 3 computer games and $150 for the Kid-Tough Digital Camera for three-year-olds. ...

... We certainly agree with those who'd like to do more to lift worker paychecks, so here are two ideas. First, make the Bush tax cuts permanent. If Congress lets them expire in 2010, as many Democrats are urging, the average family will suffer the equivalent of a $2,000 a year pay cut.

Second, slash the corporate income tax. A recent study for the American Enterprise Institute by economists Kevin Hassett and Aparna Mathur examined 72 nations over 22 years and found that "wages are significantly responsive to corporate taxation." In today's global economy, capital migrates across national borders away from high-tax nations to places where tax systems are less punitive. Workers suffer when capital flees, and job and wage growth slow.

Many political leaders have adapted to this reality, which is why the average corporate tax rate across the globe has fallen over the past 25 years to an average of about 30% from 50%. The AEI study finds that, if the U.S. were to cut its 35% corporate tax to the OECD average of 30%, American manufacturing workers would gain nearly a 10% pay raise dividend within five years, which is the equivalent of roughly a $3,500 a year pay boost.

Newcomer takes up residence at Farandaville

So Brigid got her Chinchilla today. She and the boys headed down to Choice Pets in Ossining, where Santa had arranged for the pick-up. (Note my commentray yesterday that this whole thing was not my idea!)

Chinchillas are a type of rodent(!) originally from the Andes. Evidently they are not too keen on hot weather. they are about the size of small rabbits, have luxurious fur (some are raised on Chinchilla farms for their fur), and have grasping front legs and a marsupial kind of hopping gait. And interesting ears. Go here for more information. Chinchilla - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brigid hasn't settled on a name, but is leaning toward "Gloria". Very Christmasy. Naturally the boys like the creature. Here are some pictures - note the short front legs and big ears:

A recipe for Christmas cookies from the Aussie relations

This just in from Brigid's niece June, and her family in Australia -

My Type of Christmas cookie

For Xmas day Lunch..... get into a.....................

Cuervo Christmas Cookies

Ingredients you will need are

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. 

Take a large bowl,

check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,

pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer... Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar.  Beat again.

At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK,

try another cup..just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.  Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and
chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick the  fruit off the floor..

Mix on the turner.  If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just
pry it loose with a drewscriver.  Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. 

Check the Jose Cuervo.  Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. 

Add one table..  Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink.  Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. 

Don't forget to beat off the turner. 

Finally, throw the bowl through the window,

Finish off the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

Cherry Mistmas

Christmas Day, 2006

As all Christmas's should be, it was a great day. It started later then we expected, at 7:18AM when Tim came in (he announced the time) and told us "there were a lot of presents".

We'd been up until almost 3AM. Brigid went with Tim to the back room and there was a very large box in the "Mom" section, with a sign on top of it saying "Pick up your Chinchilla at Choice Pets." Believe me, not my idea.

It looks like Trinity the guinea pig will have a roommate in an adjoining cage.

Joe was up a few moments later and the present-opening began in earnest. The only thing Joe had wanted was something called an MR2 spyder paintgun (see below), and Santa didn't disappoint. He also got a number of other things to go with his current passion - paintballing - like a camouflaged blind.

Tim meanwhile received quite a number of the gifts he'd asked Santa for in an email (although not the motor scooter, ATV, etc), such as the O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer, as well as several nice things he hadn't asked for. Especially a beautiful sleeping bag which he loves.

Brigid will get her Chinchilla tomorrow (the boys are pleased) and amongst other things she got a lantern for going camping, new binoculars (to replace the one Joe lost when he was in Washington last year!) from the boys, and lots of little items.

I did well, getting lots of shirts, and a marvelous headlamp (also see below). Also got a folding hunting knife, which I can't see using, since I don't hunt. Looks cool, though.

I guess if there was any theme to this year's gifts, it was camping (and raising a Chinchilla).

We then picked up Grandma, headed to Church, and generally had a quiet day. With the exception of the boys firing off several hundred paintballs with Joe's new gun, as well at Tim's.

We will pick up the Chinchilla tomorrow. In England, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day, and is a Holiday.

Here are some pictures from today. As usual Tim is photogenic and it's a struggle getting Joe to give us a smile for the camera.

Here's the paintball gun

The boys both check it out

Tim likes his new "camo" shirt

Note the O'Douls! And the slippers

A couple of shots of Brigid - that's her camping lantern in the first picture -

Don't you think my headlamp gives me a kind of mystical, saintly aura?

Joe and Tim

Botticelli on the Nativity

Lifted from Michelle Malkin's weblog. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Here are some pictures from today as we take it easy at our house, along with Grandma. I did get to the gym however!

Tim and Joe at their posts in the living room, playing Playstation early this morning. Joe doesn't like having his picture taken - he's under the blanket on the couch. When we woke up this morning the furnace was not working (note Tim's coat), but the service guy got it going late in the morning.

We opened a couple of presents this evening -

John Paul II's biographer on five books for understanding Christianity

Here is an interesting list from George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and biographer of John Paul. Only two of the books are by Catholics.

Worth Saving OpinionJournal - Five Best

The only thing I've read of the five is a few brief sections from Dante's "Divine Comedy." Probably back in high school. However Jaroslav Pelikan and N.T. Wright are well-known scholars (I should read the recommended book of Wright's).

in fact, I just looked up Wright's book on amazon - here's some info and reviews:Amazon.com: The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is: Books: N. T. Wright

Poll - Christmas tradition trumps trendy

The Washington Post yesterday had the following article: Poll: Christmas Tradition Trumps Trendy - washingtonpost.com

People were four times as likely to send traditional Christmas cards, 64 percent, as opposed to send greeting cards by e-mail, 16 percent.

They were twice as likely to call someone on the phone with holiday greetings, 64 percent, as to send an e-mail, 33 percent.

People are divided on whether it's a good thing or bad thing that businesses often greet their customers by saying "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas. About half, 48 percent, said it is good and almost that many, 42 percent, said it is bad.

Seven in 10 say they will use the Internet for Christmas shopping as much or more as in past years, while 25 percent will rely on it less.

Nine in 10 people say it's appropriate for public buildings to have Christmas decorations.

Henry Wordsworth Longfellow and "Peace on Earth"

My friend Karen Mahakian sent me this appropriate sentiment -

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out the same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to learn that his own son had been seriously wounded in the Army of the Potomac.
    Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing. It was in this setting that Longfellow wrote these lines:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep.
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fail,
The right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!"

The Four Stages of Life from a Santa Claus angle

Here are The Four Stages of Life:

1) You believe in Santa Claus

2) You don't believe in Santa Claus

3) You are Santa Claus

4) You look like Santa Claus

Health update: bone marrow biopsy and blood cell count

Yesterday I got the results of both my biopsy of two weeks ago and last Friday's blood count.

First the counts -

• my white blood cell count (CBC) is a little low at 3.1 (normal is 4-11).
• Red cells (RBC's) a little low at 3.98 (normal 4.2-5.6)
• Hemaglobin is 12 (normal 13-17)
• My platelets are normal.
• One of the key components of my WBC was labelled the GR cells in other reports - in this report it has a different name and seems within normal range.

The bone marrow report runs to five pages.

Here's part of the "MD comment": This is a mildly hypocellular marrow with normal numbers of megacarocytes.

Here is the "impression": Mildly hypocellular marrow with some erythroid dysplasia.

As these kinds of reports frequently are, there is an element of ambiguity with a "close clinical follow-up with re-biopsy recommended." But at least it seems to confirm that I do not have this Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS), which is the big concern, and would be very serious.

I will be having another CBC tomorrow and will try and get the results the day after Christmas. It will be interesting to see how my white count is, since it will be exactly one month since Dr. Zelentez gave me a shot of Neulasta (the white blood cell booster that's frequently advertised on television) and in the past my count three to four weeks after the shot have been around 2.0. Hopefully it will be higher then that.

And two weeks from tomorrow I will be seeing the hematologist, Dr. Klimek, who by then will have further studies from the bone marrow biopsy - the cytogenetic study.

Go here if you are interested in my first meeting with Dr. Klimek.Tom Faranda's Folly: Health update: meeting with the hematologist

Battle of the Blowhards, or Double Decadence

I have no idea why I'm posting this tripe. I guess decadence fascinates me.

New York Daily News - Home - Mogul threatens to sue 'View' star in Miss USA storm

Trump: "I'm worth billions of dollars, and I have to listen to this fat slob?"

"He's the moral authority," O'Donnell said, after flipping her hair to mimic Trump's .famous combover. "Left the first wife - had an affair. Left the second wife - had an affair. . . . But he's the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America."

Some information on Rituxan

Here's an article from Forbes online, about an unfortunate possible side effect which may have come from Rituxan use.

Update -- Analysts Downplay Rituxan Worries - Forbes.com

The Food and Drug Administration warned health care professionals on Monday that two patients treated with the drug Rituxan for an off-label condition died after developing a fatal viral infection called PML.

“Rituxan is used in both approved and off-label settings, and therefore it is very important for prescribers as well as patients to be aware of these new reports of the risk of PML,” said Dr. Steven Galson, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a statement.

Rituxan is co-promoted by Genentech and Biogen. The drug generated sales in 2005 of $1.8 billion.

Shares of Genentech dipped 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $80.78, while shares of Biogen fell 71 cents, or 1.4%, to $49.52 on Tuesday.

It is not clear at this time whether the drug did cause the fatal infection in those patients, said Biogen spokesperson Amy Brockelman in an interview. But, she added, “It can’t be ruled out whether Rituxan contributed to these events.”

Wall Street Journal op ed on "blogging"

The Journal had an unkind op ed this AM, excoriating bloggers for being, among other things, "awful" and "appalling". The author, a Journal assistant editor is referring to the writing. As far as political blogs - they are "excruciatingly boring."

The title is The Blog Mob - "Written by fools to be read by Imbeciles" and you can read the whole article here: OpinionJournal - Extra It's amusing.

Some critics reproach the blogs for the coarsening and increasing volatility of political life. Blogs, they say, tend to disinhibit. Maybe so. But politics weren't much rarefied when Andrew Jackson was president, either. The larger problem with blogs, it seems to me, is quality. Most of them are pretty awful. Many, even some with large followings, are downright appalling.

Every conceivable belief is on the scene, but the collective prose, by and large, is homogeneous: A tone of careless informality prevails; posts oscillate between the uselessly brief and the uselessly logorrheic; complexity and complication are eschewed; the humor is cringe-making, with irony present only in its conspicuous absence; arguments are solipsistic; writers traffic more in pronouncement than persuasion . . .

Here's his opinion on political blogs:

Because political blogs are predictable, they are excruciatingly boring. More acutely, they promote intellectual disingenuousness, with every constituency hostage to its assumptions and the party line. Thus the right-leaning blogs exhaustively pursue second-order distractions--John Kerry always providing useful material--while leaving underexamined more fundamental issues, say, Iraq. Conservatives have long taken it as self-evident that the press unfavorably distorts the war, which may be the case; but today that country is a vastation, and the unified field theory of media bias has not been altered one jot.

Leftward fatuities too are easily found: The fatuity matters more than the politics. If the blogs have enthusiastically endorsed Joseph Conrad's judgment of newspapering--"written by fools to be read by imbeciles"--they have also demonstrated a remarkable ecumenicalism in filling out that same role themselves.

Obviously the author has never seen this weblog, which is fascinating, fun, humorous (not "cringe-making"), and well-written!

How to kill economic growth

Before the election Pete DuPont, former Republican governor of Delaware and one of the DuPont fortune heirs, wrote a  column posted on opinionjournal.com excoriating his own party: Tom Faranda's Folly: "In politics as in other jobs, there is a price to pay for poor performance" while asking the rhetorical question "but do we deserve the Democrats?"

This morning he has a column that is a round up of Democratic thinking on the economy entitled: Watch Your Wallet - Think the Republicans were bad? Here's a preview of the Democrats' economic policies. The entire column is well worth reading.

OpinionJournal - Outside the Box

The column discusses tax increases, spending increases, the alternative minimum tax, energy, protectionism, and social security. Here's the section on protectionism:

Almost as passionate a liberal idea as spending more money is abandoning free trade and returning to protectionism. The AFL-CIO wants to limit lower priced goods from being imported into America even though it gives people a wider variety of products to choose from.

The truth is that the export of goods and services from America accounted for 10.4% of our gross domestic product in 2005 and created more than five million jobs over the previous 10 years. Imports have been increasing American trade deficits over the last quarter century, but U.S. employment simultaneously rose from 99 million to 145 million people. So trade has not cost us jobs; in fact it brings jobs into America--foreign auto manufacturers building cars here being the best example. Nevertheless, the Democrats will start by refusing to renew the president's trade authority, which expires next year.

Quick health update

I haven't seen the results of my CBC from the past Friday - MSK will fax me the results tomorrow,

In the meantime I am back on the antibiotic Levaquin for my sinus issue, and as a bonus I got what I'm sure was a viral infection that manifested itself last night - achy, intermittently too hot, then chills, the usual stuff. Luckily the worst of it was over by this morning, as I had to go to New Jersey on business. Tonight I do feel a bit washed out.

Washington Post on the military and Iraq

The Wahsington Post today had a series of articles and an editorial on the Iraq situation. First they agree with the idea of increasing the size of the military over the next few years, but are very skeptical of having a "surge" in the number of American combat troops in Iraq:

The Army We Need - washingtonpost.com

A jump in the size of the Army should take place regardless of the course of the U.S. mission in Iraq. In the post-Sept. 11 world, the Army must be prepared to deploy to multiple theaters, while still guarding against the rise of a strategic threat such as China. Some who favor a bigger force, such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also want to send tens of thousands more troops to Baghdad and Anbar province; the White House is said to be seriously considering the idea. We share Gen. Schoomaker's evident skepticism about whether such a "surge," which could not be sustained for long, would do any good. Quick military fixes are unlikely to work in Iraq; there, as with the Army, it would be better to focus on fashioning a sustainable long-term strategy.

Here is another news features on the subject in the Post:

White House, Joint Chiefs At Odds on Adding Troops - washingtonpost.com

Obama-mania

Political commentator John Fund of the Wall Street Journal has a column up on opinionjournal.com about Barak Obama and Presidential ambitions.

OpinionJournal - John Fund on the Trail

On one level, the palpable enthusiasm for his fresh face is welcome. "He's a walking, talking hope machine," Mark McKinnon, a former Bush media strategist now advising Sen. John McCain, tells National Journal. Who better to help the country get over its racial hang-ups than a 45-year-old man who was born in multiethnic Hawaii to a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya and who grew up partly in Indonesia? He's the political equivalent of Tiger Woods.

However Fund doesn't think he'll run in 2008.

Latest Read: The Number

The Number was recommended to me by an attorney friend of mine (former rugby player, with impeccable judgment). The sub-title of the book is "A Completely Different Way to Think About the Rest of Your Life".

The title refers to what "NUMBER" you need (the lump sum amount of money) to live the type of life you want to live, as you pass middle age and head off to a retired or slowed down lifestyle. So it's a financial planning book - sort of. Because it also spends lots of time talking about "Life Planning". How do you REALLY want to live the rest of your life? So it's also a self-help book - sort of.

This is a quick and interesting read. The author, Lee Eisenberg is glib and can be humorous. It starts off with some personal anecdotes by the author, who was in his mid-fifties when he wrote The Number. He goes on about our expanded life expectancies, some of life's uncertainties, the pending social security and medicare problems, stuff like that. He interviews quite a number of financial planners, shows some model situations (a family named "Case") and offers some sensible ideas, which you've probably already heard if you've studied up on the subject.

But Eisenberg seems most interested in "life planning", as in what are your priorities, what values are important to you, what is your Bliss, who is your Guru? He interviews some financial planners who've morphed into "Life Planners" (some of them oddballs) and attends one of their conferences. New Age psycho-babble pops up (Eisenberg capitalizes things like "The Rest of Your Life") but it's all fun and (dare I say) a bit aging yuppish.

I would never have read this book if it hadn't been recommended to me, and I'm glad it was. However if you are just looking for financial planning advice there are better books out there, starting with one Eisenberg mentions, "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" by Andrew Tobias. Or you can call me, since giving financial advice is what I do for a living.

62nd anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge

62 years ago this morning Germany launched it's surprise offensive, into the Ardennes forest on the German-Belgian border.

The result was the famous and horrible Battle of the Bulge, the biggest pitched battle ever fought by Americans. There were more then 80,000 American casualties, including 19,000 killed. More Americans (about 640,000) were involved and more killed than in any other battle in U.S. history.

Here is a link to PBS The American Experience documentary on the battle.

American Experience | Battle of the Bulge

It's worth reading the letters that were sent in by veterans after this program aired in 1994. Very moving just to read them.

The return of Rocky Balboa

I loved the first Rocky film and enjoyed Rocky II. I never saw Rocky III, IV or V.

Now the last Rocky film is out, Rocky Balboa (no roman numerals) and it seems to be getting surprisingly good reviews.

The Hollywood Reporter

First 007 gets back to basics, now, 30 years after the Italian Stallion came out swinging, Sylvester Stallone has returned to Rocky's humble roots with an unplugged edition that emerges as one of this season's more pleasant surprises.

Dispensing with those bloated Roman numerals, "Rocky Balboa" -- for those keeping count, it's the sixth in the series and the first since 1990's winded "Rocky V" -- defies all expectations with a low-key, technically stripped-down production that really does come close to capturing the heart and soul of the original.

and here is another positive review. Variety.com - Reviews - Rocky Balboa

Pretty cool picture

I thought this was pretty good - yesterday:

"the Holy Father received His Beatitude Christodoulos, archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, who is making an official visit to the Vatican. Prior to his audience with the Pope, the archbishop visited St. Peter's Basilica where he prayed at the tomb of John Paul II."

 

Some good news on breast cancer

This is from the AP as published online by aol.

Breast Cancer Rates Fell Dramatically in 2003 - AOL News

Breast cancer rates plunged an unprecedented 7 percent in 2003, the year after millions of women stopped taking menopause hormones when a study showed the pills raise the risk of tumors.

Darfur Update - Washington Post editorial

The Post had a great editorial today on the big roadblock to ending or ameliorating the genocide in Darfur - which they point out is spreading to nearby regions.

China and Darfur - washingtonpost.com

... the key to this tragedy lies not in the killing fields of western Sudan nor even in the White House. It is to be found instead in Khartoum, Sudan's booming capital. The sleek new office towers sprouting up in the commercial district explain why Sudan's government has resisted American and European pressure to end the genocide. But they also show why Arabs and Asians -- and especially the Chinese -- have the power to influence Sudan and the responsibility to use it.

Sudan has been subject to U.S. sanctions since the 1990s. It has been condemned in numerous United Nations resolutions, and Western firms that do business there risk alienating customers and investors. And yet a $4 billion complex of offices, parks and hotels is rising at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles, complete with the new sail-shaped headquarters of Petrodar, a Chinese-Malaysian-United Arab Emirates oil partnership. Thanks to these investors, along with Kuwaitis, Saudis, Indians and Pakistanis, Sudan's petro-economy is flourishing. This year the economy is expected to grow 13 percent on the back of oil exports, most of which go to China.

... the bigger question is why China, along with Sudan's other Arab and Asian partners, feels free to trample on basic standards of decency. China's economic model rests on access to Western markets -- access that can't be assured given popular resentment of China's growing trade surplus. Equally, China seeks acceptance at the world's diplomatic top table -- and this cause is unlikely to be advanced if China is perceived to be complicit in genocide. Imagine the newspaper ads leading up to the Beijing Games in 2008: Human rights campaigners will call on the world to boycott the Genocide Olympics.

Not everyone sees it the Washington Post way. In the last day I've received emails from two friends of mine explaining the failure to stop the genocide in Darfur.

(1) "he could remove a dictatorship that TODAY is allowing
tens of thousands of its citizens to be killed.  Of course Shrub (ed. note: That's Bush)
wouldn't impose shock and awe on Sudan even in that case, because
there's no oil there." So we intervened in Iraq for the oil, but since there's no oil in the Sudan, why bother? (ed. note: See the WaPo editorial for the refutation - there's plenty of oil in the Sudan, and China is importing it, while sending arms to Sudan and blocking UN action).

(2)"The Africa Action report... urges the U.S. to put the lives of the people of Darfur above the counter-terrorism concerns that have tied Washington to Khartoum, constraining a more robust U.S. response to the genocide and emboldening the Sudanese government ..." It's a new one on me that Washington is connected to Khartoum (capital of Sudan) for anti-terrorism purposes.

Employee of the Month

Ellen Mullin gets the credit for this:

The Think Pad -

Darfur update

Here's an interesting rant by an op ed writer in the NY Post about those who lament over Darfur on the world stage - and then do nothing about it. AND SEE FURTHER UPDATE BELOW

THE DAMNED OF DARFUR By RALPH PETERS - New York Post Online Edition: Seven

Welcome to the triumph of global hypocrisy.

Europe wrings its hands - as Europe always does - but declines an invitation to the dance. After all, "responsible" governments can't play fast and loose with another state's sovereignty. No dictator or president-for-life would be able to get a decent night's sleep.

So Sudan's Islamo-fascists continue to kill with impunity.

Our own left mourns theatrically for Darfur's dead - but no one has formed a new Lincoln Brigade to take on Sudan's Muslims fanatics. And the uncomfortable fact that Arab Muslims are slaughtering black Muslims goes ignored. It doesn't fit the left's comfortable worldview. ...

... Now the global intelligentsia is getting yet another lesson in what happens when the United States and its fellow English-speaking democracies are otherwise engaged: When the "Great Satan" doesn't act, the killing continues.

UPDATE to UPDATE - This from Christianity Today magazine website, an excellent article:

Does Darfur Have a Prayer? | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

International aid agencies, many of them faith-based, have made strong headway this year in providing emergency relief to 3.7 million out of 6 million Darfurians. Still, some 13 percent of the children are malnourished, slightly below the 15 percent that is considered the threshold for a famine emergency.

Natsios' mandate is to get a U.N. force of 23,000, as outlined in a September U.N. resolution, into Darfur to protect civilians, since the existing African Union force has been too weak to stop the violence. Natsios said Sudan, as an alternative, could allow the African Union force to be increased and to be "blue-helmeted" as U.N. peacekeepers. Natsios told Christianity Today, "From my perspective, [the alternative] would be an ideal option. At this point, the Sudanese government doesn't agree to this. I think we can change their mind." Right now, there are 7,000 lightly armed African Union troops in Darfur. But only a few A.U. troops intervene outside the 100-plus refugee camps, and they are scheduled to withdraw December 31.

Sudan's president, Omar al Bashir, shows few signs of changing his opposition to U.N. troops. Recently, Sudan kicked out U.N. envoy Jan Pronk, and President Bashir refused to meet with Natsios in October. He also publicly criticized aid groups and the news media for conspiring against his government. Regarding the role of outsiders in Darfur, Bashir told the British Guardian newspaper, "We have no objection to the African Union increasing its troops, strengthening its mandate, or receiving logistical support" from the Arab League, the European Union, or the U.N. He said he would allow a force of up to 17,000.

NY Times on "ecotourism"

My friend Greg Maher sent me an interesting article from the Travel section of this past Sunday's New York Times on a timely/trendy idea among ecology-minded travellers.

Unfortunately, NYT articles are only available for free online the week following their publication. If you come across this article and cannot see the whole thing through the link, email me and I'll send you the text.

Carbon Neutral: Raising the Ante on Eco-Tourism - New York Times

For travelers, becoming carbon neutral involves calculating their “carbon footprint,” the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced on flights, road trips or when they otherwise burn fossil fuels, and then buying “offsets” — donating money for projects that promise to produce energy without burning fossil fuels or otherwise reduce the production of greenhouse gases.

The reduction purchased is supposed to equal the amount of carbon dioxide the trip created, per passenger. The ultimate goal: a carbon neutral trip.

Increasingly, tour operators are buying carbon offsets to compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide produced on trips. REI Adventures announced a Carbon-Neutral Travel program in October. Beginning next year, the company will buy renewable energy credits from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset the carbon dioxide produced by each traveler’s flight and ground transportation. The credits, called Green Tags, will support solar, wind and other renewable energy projects. ...

... It is unclear how much impact these programs actually have on climate change — or whether they function mostly as a way for travelers to justify the amount of pollution they generate on trips. Still, many travelers see carbon offsetting as a way to help tackle global warming without having to give up that trip to the Bahamas.

Brigid turns 39 again

Today is Brigid's birthday! Same day as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Three days after Tim's birthday, which is on the Feast of St. Juan Diego. Go figure.

Here is Brigid with her friend Ronnie McNally, who turned up with the nice made-from-scratch chocolate birthday cake (good thing too, since I hadn't gotten one) on the table -

Hillary transition

I laughed when I saw this picture, sent to me by my friend Karen Riner.

The title is: The Transition Begins

Darfur update

The past weekend was a "Weekend of Prayer for Darfur" and there was an interfaith service in Croton, as well as a letter-writing opportunity at our church.

Here is an ominous look at the fact that something long feared is now happening - the violence is spreading into neighboring African countries -

Darfur crisis crosses borders | csmonitor.com

The crisis in Darfur has exploded in recent weeks, and now threatens to drag fragile neighboring countries into a regional war.

Both Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) have become engulfed in fighting that involves a toxic mix of rebel groups, government forces, armed militias, and civilians.

"It's not a steady deterioration," Jan Egeland, the outgoing UN humanitarian chief, told reporters last week. "It's a free fall, and it includes Darfur, eastern Chad, and northern Central African Republic."

In the past month alone, nearly 60,000 Darfurians have been forced from their homes to escape massacre at the hands of Arab militias known as the janjaweed. Aid workers, UN personnel, and independent observers say the janjaweed are backed by Sudan's government, but Khartoum has repeatedly denied this charge.

In eastern Chad, hundreds of aid workers have been evacuated due to increased hostilities between military forces and anti-government rebel groups, while Arab militiamen have ventured deeper into the country to conduct assaults, resulting in the displacement of nearly 100,000 Chadians.

The bloodbath is spreading.

If you'd like to send a letter to your congressman, hit the link below for the form letter we used to contact our new Congressman, John Hall. He doesn't have office space set up yet, so we sent the letters to his campaign headquarters. We'll certainly be one of the first (if not the first) lobbying effort to approach him. Or at least the first that's not asking for something for ourselves.

to see it click below "continue reading..."

A story about two Americans killed in Iraq

Here is a posting by journalist Michael Fumento on two army officers - including the first woman officer - killed in Iraq.

Michael Fumento.com - Weblog - Maj. Megan McClung and Capt. Travis Patriquin, RIP

Tim turns Ten

Tim had a milestone birthday this week-end; he turned 10 on Saturday. We had week-end long celebrations and Tim played a great game of basketball as his team (St. Augustine's) defeated Transfiguration of Tarrytown today, 22-11.

Fourth grade games are uhhh, defensive battles, as St Augustine's led at the half 6-5. Tim scored five of the six points. He finished with the five points and countless rebounds. And good defense. Pretty good stats as everyone is rotated and Tim was in the game for less than half the time. It was his best game as a basketball player.

Here he is on the "postgame show".

Baseball legend Branch Rickey on aging

"First you forget names; then you forget faces; then you forget to zip up your fly; and then you forget to unzip your fly."

A free, easy thing you can do now to support all our servicemen and women

This is free. No strings. Do it now. Sponsored by Xerox.

Let's Say Thanks

Health update: meeting with the hematologist

I (or we, since Brigid went) had my appointment Friday morning with Dr. Virginia Klimek, a hematologist at Sloan Kettering with a strong interest in Myelo-Displasia Syndrome (MDS). My history of low white cell counts since my chemotherapy has Dr. Zelenetz concerned I am at heightened risk of developing this very serious (and rare) bone marrow disease.

As we were getting ready to drive to Sloan this morning I made a small joke to Brigid about being sure to wear clean underwear, even though I figured "Heck I'm seeing a hematologist, I wont even be examined."

Well, just about the first thing she said after introducing herself and quizzing me on what Dr. Zelenetz had said to us was "I'd like to repeat the bone marrow biopsy, since I think part of the sample Dr. Zelenetz got (seven weeks go) was a little below par."

So I had another biopsy! She took out some extra, since she's doing some research, etc, which was fine with me and I Ok'd.

In a bone marrow biopsy, they stick a needle into your iliac crest (the bony area just above your rear end) and aspirate out some fluid, marrow, and a small chip of bone. It takes about ten minutes and this is the fifth one I've had. Not a big deal.

Anyway, while she was doing it we had a chat about going to the gym - she started working on power lifting awhile ago with a personal trainer, with the idea of competing (The three powerlifting lifts are the bench press, squat, and dead lift - not the first thing I'd think of as something a woman doctor would take up as a hobby). She hadn't been able to do much this year, due to work pressures.

She also did a great job with the procedure - the only thing I felt was the lidocaine local anesthetic going in (it burns for about two seconds) and then virtually nothing. I told her she got an A+ and when I saw Dr. Zelenetz I was going to tell him she was better at it then him. She said something like "Oh no, don't say that, he's the one who taught me."

But I digress. Dr. Klimek spent quite a bit of time with us, going over my history as it relates to my medications and blood counts since the stem cell transplant in January. While she chose her words carefully, she seemed to have doubts about whether I am at increased risk of MDS. She feels I could have the low white counts due to the follow-up rituxin therapy that I had as recently as August. It's also the sort of disease that in high dose chemotherapy and stem cell cases usually doesn't turn up for two to three years, and I am less than one year post high dose chemo.  I'm sure she'll have additional things to say when we meet in a month to follow up with the bone marrow and cyto-genetic studies. In the meantime I'll have my blood counts monitored every Friday at the Sloan Kettering office in Sleepy Hollow.

My white count was above 4 today, which Klimek said was good - at the least it indicated that my bone marrow had the ability to respond well to the neulasta medication I got two and a half weeks ago.

So Dr. Klimek seemed cautiously optimistic. This is good - she made it clear that MDS is pretty serious. Brigid and I were quite impressed with the Doctor. She was very personable and is on top of her game. Dr. Klimek really knows her stuff.

Health Update

We will be seeing a hematologist at Sloan Kettering tomorrow morning to get some more information on my low white count and the ramifications.

Britney speaks

As you may have heard (or seen) by now, Britney Spears went stepping out with some of her wealthy girl-friends, but forgot to wear her underwear.

This was captured by photographers as she climbed out of a limo and sent around all over the worldwide web (bet you didn't know she'd had her two children by caesarean...) Now being called CROTCHGATE.

She apologized - sort of - today on her website.

Britney Spears ~ The Official Site

It's been so long since I've been out on the town with friends. It's also been two years since I've even celebrated my birthday. Every move I make at this point has been magnified more than I expected and I probably did take my new found freedom a little too far. Anyway thank God for Victoria Secrets new underwear line! I look forward to a New Year, new music, and a new me.

I'm just getting started... Happy Holidays everyone!

Britney

"Magnified"?  Anyway, maybe this is what happens when you've been home schooled (bet you didn't know that either).

Tim's football awards night

Well, we are into basketball season now, with Tim in the St. Augustine's CYO 4th grade team. Last year he played on our parish 3rd grade team, since his school didn't have a third grade program, but decided to play this year with his school chums.

Tonite was the 3rd-4th grade Ossining Little League Football awards dinner (pizza!). There were two Ossining teams at that level and the coaches spoke briefly about each and every boy as he got his trophy (everyone gets a trophy). I didn't bring the camera to the awards dinner, but here is Tim at home with his trophy.

Asset disparity worldwide

From the Financial Times (UK)

FT.com / World / International economy - Richest 2% hold half the world’s assets

Personal wealth is distributed so unevenly across the world that the richest two per cent of adults own more than 50 per cent of the world’s assets while the poorest half hold only 1 per cent of wealth.

A survey released on Tuesday shows that middle-income countries with high growth rates still have a long way to go before they have a hope of catching up with the levels of prosperity of the richest.

Adults with more than $2,200 of assets were in the top half of the global wealth league table, while those with more than $61,000 were in the top 10 per cent, according to the data from the World Institute fpr Development Economics Research of the United Nations University (UNU-Wider).

To belong to the top 1 per cent of the world’s wealthiest adults you would need more than $500,000, something that 37m adults have achieved.

An interview with an expert on Third World Christianity

Philip Jenkins is a professor who has written extensively on Chritianity in the "Global South."

Here is a brief interview with him on how Africans tend to view the bible, published on Christianity Today:

God's Word in an Old Light | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

You say that some theological issues touch global South Christians with more immediacy than they do Western Christians.

For many Africans, many of the literary genres and themes in the Old Testament are their themes. One of the familiar problems for African Christianity is not so much getting them to take the Old Testament seriously; it's getting them to subordinate it to the New. Then there is the whole issue of sacrifice, atonement, and blood. If you come from a society in which those are normal, familiar concepts, then it does make it easy to appreciate the language and the thought.

There are also particular genres which don't make much sense in the West anymore. Wisdom literature [says] your life is a mist, you don't know if you're going to be here tomorrow, so live accordingly. If you live in a society where the average age of death is in the mid-30s, then comments about your life being a mist have a real power.

If the above interview was of interest to you, go here for an extensive excerpt from his newest book:

"Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Little article on "Socially Responsible Investing"

This is from a professional journal which is sent to me gratis, and which for some reason is allowing free access to anyone for this article.

Hearts & Minds - Investment Advisor Magazine

The feature is about so-called "Socially Responsible Investing" and I have several clients who do try to invest in what they view as a socially responsible manner. Here's a broad description of SRI from the article:

With such a large total of investments, it’s not surprising that SRI encompasses a large spectrum of players and approaches. “It goes all the way from mutual fund investors who want screens on their portfolios to many investment entities such as the State of New York’s public pension funds, which don’t have any screens at all but are very active in using their voice and vote to leverage companies,” Smith explains. “You’ll sometimes hear socially responsible investors talking about a three-legged stool. The three legs are: screening; shareholder engagement and advocacy; and community development investing.”

A big part of the SRI movement, especially for institutional investors, is shareholder advocacy. Two areas that Smith highlights to show the widespread influence of the movement toward socially responsible investing are the U.N. Principles for Responsible Investment and the Carbon Disclosure Project. (You can download reports on both initiatives at www.investmentadvisor.com, in the Web Extra section of this month’s issue.)

One problem is that one person's view of social responsibility can vary considerably from someone else's.

...socially responsible investing is a rather broad term that can encompass a wide variety of philosophical approaches and even definitions of what “socially responsible” means. Advisors who want to help their clients to find socially responsible investments would be advised to make sure they understand what those words mean to the client. Angela Thomson of Coastal Financial Planning in Lincoln, Rhode Island, learned that lesson the hard way. ...

“We were not on the same page as far as socially responsible investing,” Thomson recalls. “When I think of it I think of no nuclear weapons, no gambling, no tobacco, and so forth.” Based on those criteria Thomson bought a block of Pfizer stock for the client, who was outraged because Pfizer makes birth control.

“It was a good lesson for me because “socially responsible” is not the same to all people. I would never have considered birth control not being socially responsible. I would never have made that connection,” Thomson observes. “Some people are anti-gay rights, some people are pro-gay rights. Some people are pro-green forests, some people don’t care about forests. Everybody has such a broad base of what is socially responsible that I don’t hold myself out there anymore as that type of advisor.”

Indeed. However the Socially Responsible Investing universe is so big, that virtually anyone can skew their portfolio for or against just about anything.